


Lonely Hearts

by Startswithgoodbye



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Kidnapping, Serial Killer, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-27
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:21:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27735235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Startswithgoodbye/pseuds/Startswithgoodbye
Summary: January 14th started as a normal day for Mal. She headed for the bus stop when her life changed. She heard the stories of the notorious serial killer known only as Benjamin but she didn't assume she was on his radar. Almost three months later, she finds out the truth behind his infamous persona.
Relationships: Ben/Mal (Disney: Descendants), Doug/Evie (Disney: Descendants)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 16





	1. Prologue

“Do you think people are still looking for me?” Mal asked the painting in front of her. It had been just under three months since she was taken on her way to the bus stop. She had heard stories of the notorious killer Benjamin but she had her head in a fantasy world. 

“Do you want them to be?” Mal dropped her paintbrush at his voice. She felt a shiver down her spine at his voice. 

“I-I…” Mal stuttered. Benjamin had been nothing but attentive to her, but she knew who he was. She had heard the police briefings. She listened to the news anchors. She researched on her own. 

Benjamin chuckled at her wide eyed expression. “They are still looking. It’s only three months, you know?” He sounded reassuring, but Mal didn’t trust him. “What are you thinking about for dinner?” 

Everyday Benjamin asked her what she wanted to eat. He asked her if she had enough supplies. He asked her if she wanted to watch a movie or read a book. He offered her everything except her freedom. 

“Two months and twenty-six days.” Mal muttered under her breath. She counted her days down. Three months was the timeframe Benjamin had each victim. His last victim was found four days before she was abducted.

“Excuse me?” Benjamin cocked his head to the side with a smile. “I couldn’t hear your mumbling.” 

Mal blushed. She wasn’t sure if it was from fear or embarrassment. “Nothing,” she didn’t meet his eyes. 

“Okay,” He never pushed her. “I was thinking about getting take out from The Cheesecake Factory. I could get you a piece of strawberry cheesecake?” He smiled at her. 

“What happens if the police catch you?” She wanted to ask what happens to her if he is arrested. Would he give up her location? Would he call a friend to finish what he couldn’t from inside a jail cell?

“They have no leads on what I look like.” His eyes twinkled with mischief that made Mal’s heart flutter in fear. “I’m flattered that you are worried about me.”

Mal felt the anger rip through her chest. “Worried about you?” She spat out the words before she had time to stop herself. Her eyes widened in fear once her brain caught up with her words. 

“Someone has a bite in her personality finally.” Benjamin just chuckled. “I knew I picked the right one.”

Mal felt the nausea at his words. It wasn’t the first time he mentioned picking her. The police still struggled to find a connection to each of his victims, but he clearly had a reason for each. “Why did you pick me?” She blamed her lack of filter on knowing she only had four days left. 

“Why do you pick a flower you love?” He shrugged. “You pick your favorite so you can take it home and admire it.” 

Mal felt the chill in her bones. “You are going to kill me because I am beautiful?”

“Kill you?” Benjamin laughed. “I’m not going to kill you. I just wanted a friend.” He shrugged as it was the most obvious answer in the world.


	2. Chapter 1

“January 14th,” Mal crossed out the day before. She had a full day of classes ahead and she was already dreading the evaluation of her latest painting. Her boyfriend of five years broke up with her two weeks before her assignment was due and her mind was a disaster. The colors she used were dark and bleak. She could see the hesitation in her strokes. Her lines were not consistent. 

“Mal, sweetheart, are you up?” Mal’s mother, Maleficent rapped on her bedroom door. “I’m leaving for work in a few. Are you okay for lunch?”

Mal rolled her eyes with a smile. At 22 years old, her mother still made sure she was well taken care of always. She swore one day she would give her mother everything she wanted. “I’m meeting Evie for lunch at the café downtown.”

“Alright, love. Remember to watch your surroundings. The police haven’t found any leads for the murderer and his last victim was found four days ago.” Maleficent was a worrywart in Mal’s opinion. She had always read the neighborhood news for any petty thieves in the vicinity. She knew about the random crimes within a 100-mile radius. 

“I’m always careful, mother.” Mal felt a small wave of irritation over her for a moment. Her mother was just being concerned. “I’ll call you once I get out of class and when I get to the café?” She tried to reassure her mother. 

“Alright, love. I’ll see you later. What do you think about Thai takeout for dinner tonight? I’ll pick it up on my way home. Text me what you want and Mal?” Maleficent paused until she heard mal hum in response. “I love you, Habibti. You’re going to do great today.”

“I love you, too, Mama,” Mal’s voice softened. “I’ll see you for tonight.” 

Mal looked around her room for something she wasn’t sure she wanted. She needed to start getting ready if she wanted to grab coffee before having her dreams ripped out from underneath her. Her eyes locked on the photo on the right corner of her desk. It was her favorite photo she had taken with her boyfriend. Ex-boyfriend. 

Harry wasn’t a bad guy. He just wanted different things than Mal. He didn’t want monogamy and she couldn’t handle sharing him. When she confronted him about sleeping with other women behind her back, he exploded. He called her every name in the book and accused her of stalking him. 

Okay, he was an awful guy. 

Mal shook her head to clear the memories. She couldn’t go down memory lane right now. This was the first time she hadn’t woken up in tears and her goal was to keep it that way. 

Mal couldn’t help but think the universe was out to get her. Her lucky shirt had been forgotten at the bottom of the washer, her sock had a hole in it, she nearly slipped in the mud right outside of her house, and now the coffee shop just told her they didn’t have her power drink. She knew that her problems were subpar to the other problems in the world, but she couldn’t help it. Her life was about to drastically change. The fate of the evaluation meant continuing her studies or being let go from the program.   
Mal’s head whipped around ready to tell off whoever had planned on objectifying her with a “hey, gorgeous”. Her life was already a mess and she wasn’t above taking it out on a stranger. 

“Jay,” Mal’s shoulders slumped with relief. “I thought I was going to have to teach a stranger the proper way to talk to a stranger. “ She hugged him as tight as she could. 

“Dang, girl, are you working on your muscles?” Jay pretended he was weak after every hug she’d given him since kindergarten. “Are you ready to kick ass today?” 

“I’m ready for today to be over.” Mal couldn’t give more than a weak smile. Her three best friends knew how much of her future was weighing on today. “Wait, why are you up?” It didn’t occur to her until then that Jay was notorious for sleeping in. She knew never to call him before 11 without a life threatening emergency if she wanted to keep her head. 

“I couldn’t let my best friend live in her head the morning of her big day.” Jay shrugged. 

“You are the sweetest,” Mal didn’t know what else to say to him. He had been there for every big day she had since they were assigned in the same play group. She wasn’t self-absorbed but she knew that she wasn’t the most reliable when she was stressed which was most of the time since accepting her scholarship to her art school.

“You know I’m there for you.” Jay softened. He knew Mal was worried infinitely about this evaluation. He couldn’t blame her for worrying, but he had seen her painting. He knew she was talented but he had seen it before she submitted it. He saw the raw emotion in every stroke. He thought it was her best work. 

“Rise or fall,” Mal corked her eyebrow. It was a phrase she and her friends used for the big moments. She knew her life wouldn’t be over if she failed, but this was something she was going to have face head on. 

“That’s my girl.” Jay smiled and knocked her shoulder. “Are you meeting E today?”

“Yeah, we are going to lunch after my class. Are you coming?” Mal knew Jay was never one to turn down food. 

Jay gave her a look of shock at her question. “Why do you bother asking me these things?” 

They watched the bus come around the corner. One day Mal would learn how to judge, but that day wasn’t going to be anytime soon with winter in full swing. Then again, she has said she would learn for 3 years now and she was running out of excuses to use. 

“I’ll see you then, Jay.” Mal gave him one last smile as the bus pulled up to the stop. Her face fell slightly when she realized she was going to have to walk up the steps and face her fear. She couldn’t delay the inevitable much longer.

“Knock ‘em dead,” Jay nodded to her when she turned around on the steps to look at him. He waved off her shaky smile with a smile of his own. 

Mal’s stop was the last one in the route before the college and as normal, the bus was filled. She politely ignored everyone around her as she slipped her Airpods in and walked to the small standing area in the middle. She dutifully grabbed a bar and leaned against it. She was trying to reserve the rest of her energy for her class. Her nerves were going to take a lot of convincing to calm down. 

“You can have my seat.” Mal heard a muffled voice mixed in with her music to her right. 

“That’s okay.” Mal threw the man a smile. She wasn’t one to accept a good deed from someone, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t grateful. 

“Are you sure? You look dead on your feet.” The stranger wasn’t unkind. She knew the bags under her eyes were a sign of her lack of sleep. She was sure her face was forever blotchy from the crying she had done in the last 3 weeks. 

“I’m okay.” Mal wanted to be done with the conversation before her thoughts turned darker. 

“I’m almost sure you aren’t.” The stranger smiled again. 

Mal finally took out an Airpod and finally gave the stranger her full attention. She couldn’t help but look at his eyes. She was a firm believer that eyes were a window to the truth of a person. It was why she fell in love with Harry in the first place. His eyes made her feel wanted.

This stranger’s eyes were kind. She could feel her problems as insignificant issues to everything else in the world. She could feel herself wanting to make him smile to see it reflected in his eyes.

“I’m Mal,” She smiled at him. She didn’t want to take his seat, but she wasn’t above talking to a cute guy when she wanted to forget everything. 

“Nice to meet you, Mal. I’m Ben.”

**Author's Note:**

> Should I continue this story? Thank you for feedback! This was only the prologue.


End file.
